Skye is the Limit by Phenomenal Pen (best ebook reader ubuntu .TXT) 📖

“Ouch! I don’t think we can wait that long,” Mr. Chase said amiably. “Good thing there’s a faster way to train for weightless environments. Lu, let me ask you something: Can pigs fly?”

Lu scanned Mr. Chase’s face to try and ascertain if he was joking or asking a trick question.

“No, they can’t,” he finally answered.

“Are you quite sure?” Mr. Chase pressed.

“Yeah. Last I checked.”

“Good. Then you have nothing to worry about. For you, the dream space will follow the exact same laws of physics, including gravity.”

“And for the others?”

“Well, being weightless may not be such a bad thing after all. It might even come in handy for when you want to fly." 

“We can fly?” Lu echoed.

“That depends.”

“On what?”

“On how much you really want to.”

“To fly? I would love to fly! I’d be crazy to not want to fly.”

“But earlier you thought it would be crazy to think that you can fly, right?”

“Um, yes. Because it is,” Lu reasoned, confused.

“Well, there’s the rub. In order to be weightless and be able to fly, you need to believe with all your mind and soul that flying is not only for birds but also for pigs, and humans.”

“But even if I did believe,” Lu said thoughtfully, his brow furrowed, “it’d be physically impossible because of my need for gravity. My mind would be contradicting itself.”

“Let’s try it this way, Lu. How do birds fly?”

<They move their wing muscles really hard and fast,> Zacharie answered for Lu.

“Right! But then how do airplanes fly?”

Zacharie shrugged. <Propellers, I guess.>

“I know,” Ellie joined in. “It’s because of the way their wings are shaped.”

“Good, Ellie. I guess you were thinking about it on your first flight in. Am I right?”

Ellie smiled and nodded.

“It’s called Bernoulli’s Principle. Faster-moving air blows over the top of the wings…”

Athena provided a helpful diagram.

“The air pressure exerted by slow moving air below it becomes higher, thereby creating lift.”

“How will that help us fly?” Lu asked, unable to follow what Mr. Chase was saying.

“By keeping Bernoulli’s Principle in mind, you can concentrate to make air blow really fast over your head.”

“Make air blow over my head? With what? A giant hairdryer?”

Mr. Chase shrugged. “It’s more feasible than flapping your arms.”

<I think I’d just strap on a jet pack,> Chul-Moo said.

“Right on!” Mr. Chase exclaimed, rather over-enthusiastically. “The sky’s the limit. Or, in this case, SKYE is. What your mind can conceive, your body can achieve. I think that was actually an ad for a multivitamin.”

<I know what you’re trying to teach us,> Chul-Moo said, <but we’re not Peter Pan and the Lost Kids. We can’t just think happy thoughts and gain lift.>

“I knew you were a quick-learner, Rip. Mind if I call you that? Rip? Because Ripper sounds too violent.”

Rip shrugged.

“The fact that you guys are not a grownup Captain Hook either is the reason Athena chose you. Your imagination is and will always be your greatest strength.”

The Imagineers contemplated his words.

“Any other questions? Please feel free to ask me anything.”

Ellie raised her hand.

“Yes, Ellie.”

“Do we need to wear an environmental suit or something?”

“You mean, inside or outside dream space?”

“Inside but also, yes… outside.”

“Outside the dream, you only need to wear a biosensor headset that can read brainwaves.”

“Like the one Bev Stanton wore on The Sofa.”

“That’s right. Inside the dream space, well, anything goes. You could wear a full suit of armor or a T-shirt and jeans, whichever you’re comfortable in. Like I said, the sky’s the limit. Does that answer your question?”  

“Um, not really.”

<What she wants to know is,> Zacharie stepped in, <are we going to need protection? What happens if we die inside SKYE?>

“I see. That seems to be the most pressing question, doesn’t it? Well, let me assure you that any episode you experience inside SKYE is the exact equivalent of any dream you have during normal sleep. And what does happen to us when something happens to us in a dream?”

“We wake up,” Lu replied.

“That’s’ right. We do.”

“Is it also painless?” Ellie asked.